Sanitizers



Dec. 8, 1970 DAVIS 3,545,014

SANITIZERS Filed Feb. 5, 1968 INVENTOR. fZJEKT 041/45 i "an.

770KA/EVS.

United States Patent M 3,545,014 SANITIZERS Elbert Davis, 1611 GlenmontDrive, Glendale, Calif. 91207 Filed Feb. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 702,908 Int.Cl. E03d 9/02 US. Cl. 4228 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thisdisclosure relates to sanitizers, and particularly to sanitizers forsanitizing toilet bowls.

A sanitizer according to the present disclosure comprises a sanitizermaterial contained in a flexible package. The package is adapted to beprovided with first and second apertures through a wall of the package.

When placed in use, the package is shaken or otherwise agitated so thatthe powder gathers within the bottom of the package, thereby expandingthe walls of the package. The first and second apertures are formed, andthe sanitizer is partially immersed in flush tank water. The waterhydrates the powder to form a cake which is slowly soluble in water andwhich, given sufficient time, saturates the water within the packagewith dissolved sanitizer material. Upon each flushing of the flush tank,some of this solution drains from the package into the flush tank wateras the water flows into the toilet.

This invention relates to sanitizers, particularly to sanitizers forsanitizing toilet bowls.

Heretofore, sanitizers for sanitizing toilet bowls included a solid cakeof sanitizing material within a rigid container. Due to their size,shape and rigidity, prior sanitizers are difficult to display, store andpackage and fit into the available space in the flush tank. Furthermore,they are subject to premature soilage, spillage and leakage duringstorage and shipment due to water or moisture entering the containerthrough the apertures provided therein.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sanitizer having adispenser package which is lightweight, easily displayed, easily fittedin the limited space in the flush tank and which provides more effectivesanitizing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sanitizercontaining an anhydrous sanitizing material, whereby upon contact withwater in a flush tank, the sanitizing material takes up a suflicientamount of Water to solidify.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sanitizer havinga flexible package containing an anhydrous sanitizer powder. The powdermay be shaken to the bottom of the sanitizer package, thereby expandingthe walls of the package to increase the volume of space above thepowder, thereby increasing the volume of water capable of being treatedwithin the sanitizer.

A sanitizer according to the present invention comprises a flexibledispenser package. The walls of said package form a cavity in which ameasured quantity of sanitizer material is disposed so that a portion ofthe cavity is substantially free of sanitizer material when thesanitizer material is gathered at the bottom of the cavity. The packageis adapted to be provided with first and second apertures through a wallof the package. Upon gathering the sanitizer material at the bottom ofthe package, the walls of the package are separated, thereby expandingthe cavity. Upon providing the first and second apertures through thewall of the package and partially immersing the package in a tank ofwater so that the water level in the tank is between the first andsecond apertures, water in the tank is admitted into the expanded cavityand a portion of Patented Dec. 8, 1970 the sanitizer material dissolvesin the water in said expanded cavity to form a chemical solution.

According to an optional and desirable feature of the present invention,the sanitizer material is an anhydrous granular or powdered material sothat the water in the flush tank hydrates the sanitizer material tosolidify the material within the package.

Another optional and desirable feature of the present invention is theprovision'of flexible mounting means for mounting the package to thewall of a flush tank.

The above ond other features of this invention will be more fullyunderstood from the following detailed description and the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package for the sanitizer according tothe present invention in an unsealed condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the package illustrated in FIG. 1 in apartially sealed condition;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sanitizer in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation in cutaway cross-section of the sanitizerillustrated in FIG. 3, taken at line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view elevation in cutaway cross-section as in FIG. 4 ofthe sanitizer illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 having a hydrated sanitizingmaterial disposed therein; and

FIG. 6 is a partly cutaway perspective view of a toilet having asanitizer according to the present invention mounted in the flush tankthereof.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-5, there isillustrated a sanitizer 10 according to the present invention. Sanitizer10 comprises a package 12 formed of a suitable flexible plasticmaterial. By way of example, package 12 may be formed from a singlesheet of polyethylene plastic folded over at its approximate middle, andheat-sealed on its edge surfaces. Preferably, a polyester film of Mylaris applied over the polyethylene plastic on the outside of the packageto prevent chemical or water erosion of the plastic package. A suitableadhesive material 14 such as polyester resin, may be applied to theadjacent matching edge surface to seal the entire periphery of thepackage.

Before sealing the upper portion 16 of package 12, a predeterminedquantity of sanitizing material 18 is placed within the package throughthe opening provided by the unsealed upper portion of the package.Sanitizer material 18 preferably includes a mixture of cleaningmaterial, foaming material, odorant, and a water soluble dye. By way ofexample, one suitable formulation for sanitizer material 18 is set forthin Table I.

TABLE I Material Percent by weight Androus Sodium Sulfate 39.0 AnhydrousSodium Tripolyphosphate 39.0 Detergent powder 17.0 Aniline dye 4.2Methyl Salicylate 0.8

Anhydrous sodium sulfate (soda cake) solidifies upon contact with waterand forms (NA SO -7H Therefore, the sanitizing material containinganhydrous sodium sulfate will substantially solidify upon contact withwater to form a cake Within package 12 (see FIG. 5). Anhydrous sodiumtripolyphosphate forms NA P O -6H O upon contact with water. Thetripolyphosphate is chosen due to its relatively low solubility, itssynergistic improvement in detergency, and its ability to sequestercalcium and magnesium and other hard water materials. The sodiumtripolyphosphate eliminates ring formation within the toilet bowl anddisperses soil ingredients to prevent their depositing upon the toiletbowl.

It has been found that by increasing the percentage of anhydrous sodiumsulfate in the sanitizing material the hydrated cake becomesincreasingly harder. Conversely, by increasing the percentage ofanhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate in the powder, the hydrated cake willbe softer, and form a sludge in the package. It is preferred that thepercentages of anhydrous sodium sulfate and anhydrous sodiumtripolyphosphate be chosen such that the hydrated cake is sufiicientlysoft so that sharp edges will not form to puncture the package, andstill be sufiiciently hard so as to prevent discharge of undissolvedsanitizing material from the package. The formulations set forth inTable I result in a hydrated deformable sludge within these criteria.

A suitable detergent powder is one commercially available under thetrade name Nacconal which contain 40% alkyl aryl sulfonate detergentbeads. A suitable aniline dye is alphazurine FGND concentrate, having anAcid Blue No. 9 Color Index Number 4209. This dye is a condensationproduct of orthoformyl benzene sulfonic acid with alpha-normalethylanilino meta toluene sulfonic acid, oxidized and converted to anammonium salt.

Methyl salicylate synthetic oil of Wintergreen is an odorizer whichgives off a fragrant aroma and is highly useful as an odorizer for thepurposes of the present invention.

The water soluble dye is preferably a blue dye so that the sanitizermaterial is distributed into the flush tank of the toilet and thence tothe toilet bowl. The blue tint added to the water in the toilet bowlserves two purposes: First, the blue tint provides an aestheticallypleasant tint to the water in the toilet bowl; secondly, the blue tintserves as an indicator that there exists a sufiicient quantity ofsanitizer to continue sanitizing the toilet bowl. Should the waterappear to be clear upon inspection, the custodian of the toilet willknow that the sanitizer needs replacement.

On at least one face of package 12 there is provided a transparentwindow having a mark line 22 disposed thereon. Line 22 in transparentwindow 20 indicates the maximum height the anhydrous powder sanitizermaterial within the package may extend when the package is first placedin the flush tank. The quantity of material within the package is suchthat when the bulk of the sanitizing material is disposed in the bottomof the package, the material will not stand above line 22. Marker 24 isdisposed above line 22 and preferably within window 20 to indicate thelocation of a first aperture to be punched through the package and intocavity 28 prior to the positioning of the package within a flush tank ofa toilet. Second marker 26 is disposed at the upper portion of thepackage and indicates the position of a second aperture to be punchedthrough the package and into cavity 28. The aperture at marker 26provides an air hole through which air may enter cavity 28.

Line 30 is disposed on the face of package 12 to indicate the maximumdepth at which the package is immersed in the flush tank water. When thesurface level of the water in the flush tank is at line 30, normalcleaning and tinting of the toilet bowl water is provided. A lower line32 is provided to provide indication as to the location of the minimumdepth of the package in the flush tank water. When the surface level ofthe water in the flush tank is at line 32, lighter cleaning and tintingof the toilet bowl is provided.

As indicated in FIGS. 3-5, the level of the sanitizing material shouldnot exceed the height of the aperture provided at marker 24.

To mount the package in a flush tank, aperture 34 is provided throughthe sealed upper portion 16 of the package and one end of a flexiblehook 36 preferably constructed of reinforced plastic, is passed throughaperture 34. Hook 36 is adapted to extend over an upper edge of 4 theside wall of a flush tank at the opposite end of the package.

FIG. 6 illustrates a sanitizer 10 in position within a flush tank 38 oftoilet 40. As indicated in FIG. 6, the upper portion of hook 36 extendsover the upper edge of one wall of flush tank 38 and is hidden from viewby the flush tank lid.

To use a sanitizer according to the present invention the package isshaken or otherwise agitated so that the sanitizer material gathers atthe bottom of the package and forms a bulge therein (see FIGS. 35). Thewalls of the package are thus expanded and separated to increase thevolume of space above the powder. Apertures are formed at each ofmarkers 24 and 26 and the sanitizer is mounted in a flush tank of atoilet as illustrated in FIG. 6.

Liquid from the flush tank enters cavity 48 formed by the expanded wallsof package 12 through the aperture provided at marker 24. This waterhydrates the material to form a soluble deformable sludge at the bottomof package 12 as illustrated in FIG. 5. The water within the packageabove the sanitizer material becomes saturated with sanitizer materialdue to the solubility of the ma terial, and upon flushing of the toiletand dropping of the level of water in the flush tank below the bottomorifice, the solution in the package flows into the flush tank. Uponrefilling of the flush tank 38 with water, the residual solution isdiluted with fresh water in the fiush tank and the sanitizer material isdispersed throughout the flush tank water. Upon a subsequent flushing oftoilet 40, the treated flush tank water is discharged into the toiletbowl. The sanitizing material dispersed within the water providescleaning, tinting, and deodorizing of the toilet bowl water and tends toclean the flush tank and toilet bowl.

The air hole provided by the aperture 26 permits equalization of airpressure above the water in the package with the atmosphere so that thewater level in the package will be equal with the water level in theflush tank and above the aperture at marker 24, if desired.

Each time the toilet is flushed, the used or old sanitizing materialwithin the toilet bowl is discharged to Waste with toilet bowl water,and fresh sanitizer material is introduced into the toilet bowl from theflush tank.

The cycle continues until all the soluble material within the package 12has been used up. When this occurs, there is no more sanitizing materialto tint the water blue, so that the custodian of the toilet may readilydetermine that the sanitizer requires replacing. However, if the wateris tinted blue, the custodian can be assured that the sanitizer isworking properly.

The sanitizer according to the present invention may be easily storedand shipped in a concentrated powdered form disposed in a sealedpackage. The powder is shaken to form a bulk at the bottom of thepackage, thereby expanding the walls of the package to increase thevolume of space above the material, and thus, the volume of water to bedischarged from the sanitizer to the flush tank. The dispenser may beformed by simply piercing the package above the powder level to permitwater to enter the package, and at the top for an air breather hole. Thepackage may be put to use by paritally immersing it below the water linein the flush tank. Water in the flush tank then flows into the packageand hydrates the powder to form a soft cake or sludge. Water inside thepackage and above the cake slowly dissolves the chemicals and dye toproduce a saturated solution. Flushing the tank lowers the water leveloutside the package resulting in a discharge of concentrated solutionthrough the lower pierced hole. As the flush tank refills, the packagetakes on a measured amount of fresh water and the cycle is repeated.

One important feature of the present invention is that the package issealed until put to use. Thus, the sanitizer material within the packagecannot be prematurely spoiled, spilled, or soiled during storage orshipment. The package lies fiat and is lighter than prior sanitizers.For

example, a package for sanitizing a toilet will normally containapproximately 5 ounces of anhydrous sanitizer material which, uponhydration, will form approximately 8 ounces of hydrated sanitizermaterial.

Another important feature of the present invention is that the packagemay be stored and shipped in a relatively flat condition. However, whenthe sanitizer is placed in use, the sides of the package are expanded bygathering the bulk of the material at the bottom of the package, therebyincreasing the volume of space above the material. The volume of waterto be treated during each cycle may thereby be accurately metered by theexpanded volume above the material and by the depth to which the packageis immersed in the flush tank water.

This invention is not to be limited by the embodiment as shown in thedrawings or described in the description, which is given by way ofexample and not of limitation, but only in accordance with the scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed:

1. A sanitizer for dispensing a chemical solution to water in the flushtank of a toilet, said sanitizer comprising: a flexible package adaptedto be partially immersed in the water in the tank, said package havingwalls sealed closed around the entire periphery of said package, saidwalls forming a cavity within said package; watersoluble sanitizermaterial within said cavity, said sanitizer material consisting of ananhydrous powder of such measured quantity that at least a portion ofsaid cavity is substantially free of sanitizer material when saidsanitizer material is gathered at the lowermost portion of said cavity,said anhydrous powder being of the type which forms a deformable sludgeupon contact with water; said package being adapted to be provided witha first aperture through a package wall into said cavity above thesanitizer material when the sanitizer material is substantially gatheredat the bottom of said cavity and a second aperture through a packagewall into said cavity above the first aperture and near the uppermostportion of said cavity, whereby upon gathering said sanitizer materialin the bottom of said package, the walls of said package separate toexpand said cavity, and upon providing said first and second aperturesthrough the package wall, and upon placing the package in said tank sothat the surface level of water in said tank is above said firstaperture, water is admitted through said first aperture into saidexpanded cavity to dissolve a portion of the sanitizer material in thewater in said expanded cavity to provide a chemical solution in saidcavity and to form a deformable slude of the remainder of the sanitizermaterial; and support means attached to said package for supporting saidpackage in said tank.

2. A sanitizer according to claim 1 wherein said sanitizer materialincludes: anhydrous sodium sulfate; sodium tripolyphosphate; methylsalicylate; a detergent; and a 5 water soluble dye.

3. A sanitizer according to claim 1 further including first mark meanson a wall of said package indicating the position for said firstaperture.

4. A sanitizer according to claim 3 further including a transparentportion on a wall of said package to enable viewing into said cavity,said first mark means being disposed on the wall of said package abovethe lowermost portion of said transparent portion.

5. A sanitizer according to claim 4 further including second mark meanson a wall of said package above said first mark means indicating theposition for said second aperture.

6. A sanitizer according to claim 5 further including third mark meanson a wall of said package between said first and second mark means forindicating the position of the surface level of water in said tankrelative to said package when said package is partially immersed inwater in said tank.

7. A sanitizer according to claim 3 wherein said third mark meanscomprises a first line on said package and a second line marked on saidpackage above said first line.

8. A sanitizer according to claim 3 further including fourth mark meanson said package indicating the highest permissible surface level of thebulked sanitizer material in said package when said package is immersedin water.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said fourth mark means isdisposed across said transparent portion.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said third mark meanscomprises a first line marked on said package and a second line markedon said package above said first line.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 945,255 1/1910 Wilkie et al.4-228 2,146,308 2/1939 Maxfield 5328 2,195,740 4/1940 Salfisberg 53282,330,361 9/1943 Howard 5328 2,606,412 8/1952 Salfisberg 539 2,706,1804/1955 Sylvester 252-137 1 2,807,807 10/1957 Harper 4-228 3,121,2362/1964 Yadro et al 4-228 3,240,710 3/1966 Schlitz 252-106 3,244,636 4/1966 Reller et a1. 252-107 3,249,549 5/1966- Markgraf 252-138 3,265,6248/ 1966 Inamorato 252-99 3,291,744 12/1966 Bohrer 252-161 3,423,1821/1969 Klasky 23-267 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,440 8/ 1893 Great Britain 4-228281,853 12/1927 Great Britain 4-228 5 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, PrimaryExaminer D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner

